Self-Cleaning: Our bodies Are Built for It

Here, how to kick-start your body’s natural ability to detoxify with healthier food options.

The human body is an amazing organism.

While constantly exposed to potential threats, such as infections and pollutants, it is designed to take what it needs from the environment and food while protecting us from infection and excreting waste. Because we want to boost our bodies’ ability to do so, there is a large industry that caters to detoxification, either with “cleansing” diets or juicing or colonic cleansing or irrigation.

The bad news is that these cleanses are essentially useless and, in some cases, potentially dangerous (for instance, risk of bowel perforation from colonic irrigation).

The good news is that we don’t need them.

So the best strategy for keeping the body clear of harmful substances is to do what you need to keep it functioning healthily.

And that starts with food.

A kidney-healthy diet consists of foods that aren’t too high in sodium, potassium and phosphorous, so include bell peppers, cabbage, cauliflower, garlic, onion, apples, cranberries, blueberries, raspberries, strawberries, cherries, red grapes, fish and olive oil.